On Aug 27, 4:41=A0pm, PatOConnell <gypkap.figureit...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> Wolf Leverich wrote:
> > On 2008-08-26, ShadowTek <F...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> >> "Wolf Leverich" <lever...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in
> >>news:slrngb8fd9.arg.leverich@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
> >>> It's getting rare to see anyone in the Southwest still using
> >>> boots in summertine and, when you do, it's a prety safe bet
> >>> that they're either a newbie or not the sharpest tack in the
> >>> box ...
> >> Boots provide good ankle sup****t. Some people need that, especially
if=
they
> >> are packing weight.
>
> >> Your safe bet has been lost.
>
> > I tend to hang out with locals who do 10+K vertical a week,
> > often cross-country or rock scrambling, and not tourists
> > from wetter areas who are wearing the same footgear they use
> > for slogging through mud at home.
>
> > So I'll amend my remark to say n00bs, the not-so-bright, and
> > tourists. =A0;)
>
> > Re ankle sup****t, I'm kinda agnostic on that. =A0If you're
> > going to do one 5-day backpack a year, maybe "ankle sup****t"
> > makes sense. =A0If you do this stuff several days a week,
> > most folks' ankles toughen up and the "ankle sup****t" just
> > becomes an inability to handle uneven ground with style
> > and grace.
Most people here are weekend warriors. Wish I could do this several
days a week, but I've got to work and then there's family commitments.
> > But, like I've been saying, taint no true religion that fits
> > everybody everywhere in the backcountry. =A0High-topped Goretex
> > boots may make sense for the OP, while low-cut well-ventilated
> > shoes may make a lot of sense for well-conditioned south-
> > westerners.
Uh - like cowboys? Or National Park Service rangers I saw at Arches,
Canyonlands, Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, and Zion?
> > Do what works for you and the environment at hand.
>
> > Cheers, Wolf.
>
> When hiking in the Southwest (AZ, NV and NM, anyway), remember that the
> trails are often rocky, and that in July through September it does rain,
> sometimes a lot (that's why they're called monsoons). I wear GoreTex
> lined ankle high boots in hot weather and never have had problems.
I thought of the Southwest as the Four Corners area and maybe NV and
the hotter parts of California.
Try Bryce Canyon. Man does it rain there.
> One other thought: much of the Southwest is inhabited by plants with
> teeth. Hiking shoes with lots of ventilation may get even more
> ventilated by cactus and other pointy stuff.
There's nothing worse than an elitist telling people that they're
noobs, tourists, or no-so-bright because they choose footwear that's
appropriate for their own level of fitness.
Check out the participant galleries at Friends of the Arizona
Highways. I see a variety from sneakers to high-top boots. There
nothing wrong with a well-ventilated high-top hiking boot even in the
hottest climates.
http://www.friendsofazhighways.com/gal_par_exp_05.htm
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